Arian Foster wants carries but is willing to share load for Texans

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Yes, Arian Foster is competitive. And, yes, he wants to carry the ball as much as possible. Especially Monday, when the Texans’ star running back returned to his former home city of San Diego for the first time to play as a pro.

Foster split rushes with backup Ben Tate during the Texans’ 31-28 come-from-behind victory against the Chargers. He acknowledged that, as a competitor, he wanted to be on the field late in the contest. But Foster also knows he’s not in prime game shape yet, and he’s willing to share duties with Tate if it makes the Texans better.

Foster ran for a game-high 57 yards on 18 carries, while Tate rushed nine times for 55 yards.

Foster was frustrated by at times being held out of action. But he said it was for the right reasons.

“Obviously, they had a game plan going in of how much they wanted me to play and they’re trying to ease me back into it,” Foster said Wednesday at Reliant Stadium. “But my competitive nature, of course it’s getting (to be) crunch time and the fourth quarter and you want to be out there. It’s just how it played out. In my opinion, you probably (should be) concerned with a player that’s happy he’s not in there.”

Asked if he’s comfortable splitting time with Tate during upcoming games, Foster laughed and said he “has to be.” But the Pro Bowl back made it clear he has no issues with Tate, nor his team’s offensive game plan.

“We’re chess pieces,” Foster said.

He added: “It’ll probably be a couple games before I feel back to 100 percent myself. But I felt good — I felt comparatively good.”

Before Foster addressed the media, Texans offensive coordinator Rick Dennison said he had no idea if Foster was frustrated after seeing limited action against the Chargers.

Dennison was focused on helping the Texans rally for a 31-28 victory. If Foster’s displeased, the OC hasn’t heard about it.

“He just got back (to the team), he didn’t play very much, we’re just trying to rotate him in and keep fresh guys in,” Dennison said.

He added: “I don’t know if he’s unhappy — I don’t know that. But I know that he’s happy that we won.”

Texans coach Gary Kubiak said the team will continue to monitor Foster’s progress for a Week 2 home contest against the Tennessee Titans.

“I’m just going to keep watching him,” Kubiak said. “I’d like (the carries) to be pretty close right now.”